ironclad
One of the North's first acts at the outset of the Civil War was the attempt to force the Confederacy into submission by blockading its ports. The objective was to deny the South access to supplies and to shut down its export of cotton to England - its major source of revenue. To counter this threat, the Confederacy began to build a fleet of ships clothed in iron panels that made them impervious to enemy cannon fire. Armed with an underwater ram, these ships were designed to slam into and sink the enemy's wooden vessels.
The first of these Confederate "Ironclads" was constructed upon the burned-out hull of the USS Merrimac left behind by Union forces when they abandoned the Newport, Virginia shipyards early in the war. Although christened the CSS Virginia by the Confederates, the new ship has retained its original name following the tradition of naming a ship after the name of its hull.
At noon March 8, 1862, workmen completed the final touches of the Merrimac's construction and the cumbersome warship steamed from her mooring into the James River and history. Waiting for her only a few miles away was a bevy of Union blockaders ready to do battle. It was no contest.
It was a warm, windless day. Recently washed clothes hung lazily from the rigging of the Yankee ships as the Merrimack slowly lumbered into firing range of the USS Cumberland, a thirty-gun frigate. The Yankee ships and surrounding shore batteries opened fire only to watch in amazement as their cannon balls bounced off the sloped sides of the Merrimack with no effect.
The Confederate ironclad rammed the Cumberland, striking a death blow that sent her to the bottom. She then turned on the fifty-gun Congress, which after a fierce hour-long battle raised a white flag in defeat. A third Yankee ship, the Minnesota, had run aground making itself an easy target. But dark was descending and the Confederates decided to seek a safe harbor, confident they could return the following morning to finish off
The first of these Confederate "Ironclads" was constructed upon the burned-out hull of the USS Merrimac left behind by Union forces when they abandoned the Newport, Virginia shipyards early in the war. Although christened the CSS Virginia by the Confederates, the new ship has retained its original name following the tradition of naming a ship after the name of its hull.
At noon March 8, 1862, workmen completed the final touches of the Merrimac's construction and the cumbersome warship steamed from her mooring into the James River and history. Waiting for her only a few miles away was a bevy of Union blockaders ready to do battle. It was no contest.
It was a warm, windless day. Recently washed clothes hung lazily from the rigging of the Yankee ships as the Merrimack slowly lumbered into firing range of the USS Cumberland, a thirty-gun frigate. The Yankee ships and surrounding shore batteries opened fire only to watch in amazement as their cannon balls bounced off the sloped sides of the Merrimack with no effect.
The Confederate ironclad rammed the Cumberland, striking a death blow that sent her to the bottom. She then turned on the fifty-gun Congress, which after a fierce hour-long battle raised a white flag in defeat. A third Yankee ship, the Minnesota, had run aground making itself an easy target. But dark was descending and the Confederates decided to seek a safe harbor, confident they could return the following morning to finish off